Post-transcriptional mechanisms in the control of early bovine development.

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The cattle industry contributes more than 10 billion dollars annually to the Canadian economy. Fertility is a major factor limiting productivity in this sector. In cattle, as in other mammals, early embryonic development represents a critical point in the establishment of successful pregnancies. From a scientific standpoint, the exploration of mechanisms that control embryonic growth and development provide fascinating insights into some of the most fundamental biological questions as they apply to many different species. Growth, development and viability of the embryo depends on multiple factors, the most important of which is the strict, well-timed regulation of gene expression. Gene expression can be loosely defined as the level of a specific gene product (RNA or protein) that is present in a cell at a particular time. Embryos that have abnormal control of gene expression develop abnormally or fail to develop at all. Control of gene expression is very complicated and involves different mechanisms that increase or decrease the overall levels of mRNAs encoding specific proteins in cells, tissues or organisms. These include factors that change the production of mRNA (transcription) and factors that change the rate of mRNA decay or translation into protein (post-transcriptional changes). This project will investigate post-transcriptional mechanisms by which early bovine embryos control the expression of important genes, and how these processes impact their development and survival. Using cutting-edge molecular techniques, and bovine embryos generated by in vitro fertilization, our studies will examine the roles of proteins that alter the rate of mRNA decay in oocytes and embryos. Differences in the levels or activities of these proteins are very likely to influence development and will be identified and characterized. These studies should help reveal important new pathways controlling female fertility and early embryo development. Ultimately, we hope that this knowledge will contribute directly to strategies that improve fertility in cattle.